Having lost my own father to Covid during the most restricted phase of the 2020 lockdown, I wholly understand the pain, hurt and frustration caused by allegations of drinks parties both in 10 Downing Street and by the Leader of the Opposition. I won’t rush to judgement until the independent report lays out the facts which I look forward to then scrutinising closely.
I welcome the announcement that the Royal Navy are taking over operations in the English Channel to limit illegal immigration. We must urgently bring to an end to the small boat crossings and stop the danger of people being in the hands of people smugglers and the risk of further deaths on the Channel. What started as a trickle of boats has become a booming international criminal business.
It is right that the UK should help those most in need around the world and noteworthy that the UK has given more help to Syrian refugees than the whole of the EU member countries combined. We continue to resettle refugees directly from places of danger but it is deeply unfair to people choosing the right way to apply to come to the UK, when people are able to pay criminals to jump the queue. We would not celebrate those with money – over 90% of whom I am told are male – jumping a queue of women and children in any other domain of our public life.
Every person getting into the water is already safe in France, which has an established and responsible asylum system. People are safe in many places before France too, both inside the European Union and elsewhere. We also need to be clear that there are legal routes of entry into the UK. Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of work visas up for grabs – in a huge array of sectors. It is possible to come to the UK legally, and millions of people have so there is no excuse.
Finally, readers will be relieved to hear that the BBC Licence Fee will remain at £159 until 2024. This decision supports the most hard-pressed families, and the Government has recognised that the bloated BBC with its multi-million pound presenters must make savings at a time when others finances are strained. As Lord Grade, former Chairman of the BBC said; “the BBC has got to look very hard at its size and its activities and decide what is the core strength of the BBC, look at all the options for funding and come up with a plan of its own. But a compulsory regressive licence fee at £159 is living in a dream world”.
